Bradley Marsh from Reynella Primary School, South Australia has been crowned Australia’s mobile phone recycling Champion after handing in 850 mobile phone handsets, the single largest collection in the 2009 MobileMuster ‘Old Phones, New Fence Posts’ Schools Recycling Challenge.

The Challenge created by the official recycling program of the mobile phone industry, MobileMuster, encouraged students to round up and recycle old and unused mobile phones lying around at home.

For every 5kg of old mobiles handed in for recycling by schools from 1 May and until World Environment Day – June 5, MobileMuster and Australia Composite Technology (ACT) pledged to

donate 1 Plasmar plastic fence post to communities affected by the Victorian bushfires.

Rose Read, Manager of the Australian Mobile Telecommunication Association’s (AMTA), mobile phone recycling program, MobileMuster, said Bradley Marsh rounded up 850 mobile phone handsets,

roughly 70kg in weight and four times the collection amount of the runner up. Bradley has enabled 232 fence posts to be erected in the areas destroyed by the bush fires.

“We congratulate Bradley for his phenomenal recycling effort. It is wonderful to see students such as Bradley working together with their teachers and families to help the environment as well as local

farmers and schools whose properties were devastated by the bush fires.

In recognition of Bradley’s efforts he will receive a National Champion certificate and a Milton Mobile Family Experience Pack to the value of $250.

“As a result, 720 Plasmar plastic fence posts have been donated to fence more than 5km of property and creek boundaries in the Baw Baw Shire Council and Kinglake areas.

The plastics from the handsets and chargers are shredded and combined with other plastics to make Plasmar fence posts, made locally in Melbourne by Australia Composite Technology (ACT). This

includes the plastic fence posts which have been donated to Labertouche Primary, Middle Kinglake Primary Schools and a number of local farmers in the Baw Baw Shire area,” concluded Ms Read.

To see pictures of where the fence posts have gone visit http://www.mobilemuster.com.au/school_challenge

State Champions (mobile phones collected)

SA - Bradley Marsh - Reynella Primary School, Old Reynella (850)

NSW - Xanthe Dumbnell, International Grammar School, Ultimo (215)

VIC - Molly Mackenzie - Syndal South Primary School, Mount Waverley (133)

QLD - Tia Hamlet - Yarrilee State School, Hervey Bay (65)

WA - Thomas Brosnan - Holy Spirit Catholic School, City Beach (44)

NT - Jackson Wright - Woodroffe Primary School (16)

TAS - Sarah Fletcher - St Mary's College, Hobart (3)